Tuesday, April 29, 2014

The International Ocean Research Conference “One Planet
One Ocean” will be held next 17-21 November
2014 in Barcelona (Spain).

The
2nd International Ocean Research Conference (IORC) is an opportunity
for the scientific community to come together to plan the coming decade
of
international collaboration in marine science and technology, with a
view to improving ocean governance. This conference has an
interdisciplinary focus, encompassing oceanographic, social science and
economic perspectives on ocean research and will provide
excellent opportunities to gain insight into the latest oceanographic
research through theme sessions, key note speakers and workshops. The
IORC will demonstrate the breadth and global impact of ocean research
and its fascinating contributions in terms of
new knowledge on pressing issues, including climate change, ocean
governance and capacity building.

The
attached announcement contains information about the Science Programme,
Registration, Call for Abstracts, Side Events and Exhibitions, Social
Events,
Early Career Scientist opportunities, etc.

Monday, April 28, 2014

The Second Annual St-Laurent Academy Biodiversity
Gala, celebrating excellence in protecting our biological heritage. The event was held at St-Laurent Academy in Ottawa, Canada. Biodiversity is short for Biological Diversity and it is defined as the variety of all living
things.

The first award of the 2014 Biodiversity Gala went toMr. David Coates (Convention on Biodiversity- United Nations)
Environmental Affairs Officer for Inland Waters

Unfortunately the Hon Yasir Naqvi could not be with us today. He is hard at work in Toronto at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario but he has left us a special video message.

We live on a beautiful
planet. We all have a stake in protecting
our world’s exceptional diversity and we must help to stop it’s loss. Our
recipients today inspired us all to be the best we can be. Image above of the 2014 winners and participants.

Chafic Bouchakra has had a strong interest in the environment since his
High School days and was a strong leader at our International Biodiversity
Symposium in 2009. He travelled to COP10
in Japan in 2010 to promote our International Youth Accord and now works at
Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo here in Ottawa!

Eric, or as he is better known on our
biodiversity blog as “Mr. Panama”, is an exceptional naturalist and
photographer.

Roots & Shoots was
founded by Dr. Jane Goodall, in 1991, with the goal of bringing together youth from
preschool to university age to work on environmental, conservation and
humanitarian issues. Image with Roots and Shoots representative Allison Forsythe.

Tara Wilson, a First Nations
youth who informs us about the reality of residential schools, their effect on
the identity, and the loss to the First Nation’s People of their strong
connection to the land.

St-Laurent Academy School provided the music for the event.

The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust is an
international charity working globally towards their mission of saving species
from extinction. Image from the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Congratulations
to all the Grade 7 students who worked as a team to make this event
happen. Thank you to Devonshire Public and Notre Dame Catholic School
for assisting in the nomination process. Images by Mr. Leveille

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

We should help the Earth because we are the only species who can change it to the better.

Our purpose in the World is to save the World.

Cut down a tree some life goes, plant a tree new life grows.

Reuse, reduce, recycle, refuse. Now is the time, let it grow. Earth forever- Save, Sustain.We are important because we have the ability to create technology to conserve the future of life.Protect to save our future.Support, Save, Sustain.

Conservation helps everyone achieve more.The Earth is more than where you live, it's what gives you life.You sustain the Earth and the Earth will continue to sustain you.Make the world sustainable for everybody to live today and tomorrow.If you believe in the future of life, others will too.Sustainability comes from everyone doing their bit.

Montreal, 22 April 2014 – US$ 4.43 billion has
been pledged by 30 donor countries for the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to
support developing countries' efforts over the next four years to prevent degradation
of the global environment.

The announcement, made at the Fourth Meeting for the Sixth
Replenishment of GEF Trust Fund, held in Geneva, Switzerland, 16-17 April 2014,
further stated that the funding will support projects in over 140 countries to
tackle a broad range of threats to the global environment. These threats
include climate change, deforestation, land degradation, extinction of species,
toxic chemicals and waste, and threats to

oceans and freshwater resources.

The GEF is the main global mechanism to support developing
countries' to take action to fulfill their commitments under the world's major
multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), including the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD).

“This is a significant development. We welcome the efforts of
the GEF Secretariat and the commitments of donor governments to replenish the
GEF capital and thus allow the GEF to continue to serve as the financial
mechanism of the CBD and other MEAs,” said Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, CBD
Executive Secretary. “This will ensure that the GEF maintains its support for
developing countries and countries with economies in transitions to support the
implementation of their commitments under the CDB, in particular the Strategic
Plan for Biodiversity for 2011-2020 and its 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and
the updated national biodiversity strategies and action plans and associated
national targets.”

“However, this still serves as a reminder that donor
countries failed to fulfil the target set at the Eleventh meeting of the
Conference of the Parties (COP 11) in Hyderabad, India, to double the
international financial flows by 2015 relative to the 2006-2010 average,”
underlined Dias.

“This means that we have missed the opportunity to
significantly increase the investment on biodiversity to increase the efforts
for achieving the implementation of the Aichi Targets,” said Mr. Dias. “This
limited effort of multilateral funding, which represents a 30% increase over
the baseline of 2006-2010, puts undue pressure on bilateral funding, domestic
funding and private funding to compensate for this shortcoming to

meet the estimated funding gap if we hope to achieve the agreed
Aichi Targets by 2020,” he said.

The conservation, restoration and sustainable use of
biodiversity can provide solutions to a range of societal challenges. For
example, protecting ecosystems and ensuring access to ecosystem services by poor
and vulnerable groups are an essential part of poverty eradication.

Failing to pay due attention to the global biodiversity
agenda risks compromising the capacity of countries to eradicate poverty and to
enhance human well-being, as well as their means to adapt to climate change, reduce
their vulnerability to extreme natural disasters, to ensure food security, to
ensure access to water and to promote access to health.

“Without adequate funding for the global biodiversity agenda
the continual availability of biological resources and ecosystems services will
be compromised and impact the capacity of the business sector to continue to
operate and supply the market with products, services and employment,” said Mr.
Dias. “I encourage all countries to ramp up their contributions complementary
to the GEF Trust Fund to ensure a better and more sustainable future for us
all.”

The issue of constructing biological corridor
has affected the progress of the Rinchenthang Township in Nganglam, Pema
Gatshel district south-eastern Bhutan which has brought the government and the
local people into conflict. Around 500 acres of the planned Nu 500M Richenthang
town falls within the biological corridor which connects Manas National Park to
Khaling wildlife Sanctuary. After the significant progress had already been
made in township planning, the issue of township encroaching the corridor came
up in 2012.

More than 4,000 hectares
of forest was razed by fire in Wangdue Phodrang district, central Bhutan this
week. According to the range officer, the fire had reached Matalongchu forest
and Lingmukha gewog’s boundary in Punakha, after burning the entire forest
under Phangyul gewog. Due to the difficult landscape, strong wind and lack of
water sources nearby, the fire was difficult to control.

About 93,283 ha forestland has been destroyed for settlement and
agricultural in 63 districts of Nepal in last fiscal year According to annual
report by Attorney General, 740 different forests were encroached by 121,234
households to build 30,194 temporary huts and farmland.